Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider’s statement of purpose states that this home can provide care for three children aged 5 to 17 years, irrespective of gender, who are unable to live in their own family home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned from the home in September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Inspection date: 16 December 2021

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 16 December 2021

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last full inspection in April 2021, the registered manager has resigned. In October 2021, a new manager took over the day-to-day management of the home. The interim manager has submitted a formal application to Ofsted to become the registered manager.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is confident and proactive. Staff report an improvement in the leadership and management of the home. Staff report that the team now works together and shares ideas to improve outcomes for children. The inspector observed a good rapport between the manager, staff and children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has introduced effective monitoring and auditing systems for greater scrutiny of completed work and post-incident reports to help highlight any outstanding tasks on a child’s records. This ensures greater accountability within the team. Rotas ensure that senior staff are more visible. The balance of male and female staff has been addressed. However, to ensure ongoing diversity and development of staff on shift, a recommendation is made to ensure that the same two staff are not on the same shift pattern.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has gone through a process of significant maintenance and redecoration. While minor maintenance is still ongoing, the home now presents as a clean, nurturing and homely environment for children to live in. Staff and children report a significant change for the better. Children have clean and well-presented bedrooms that are personalised. Staff have thought through each bedroom with children to ensure that the children’s needs are met according to their age and emotional presentation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All children are in education and/or employment. Children enjoy school and engage with online education if they are unable to go into school due to the pandemic.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The inspector observed warm and nurturing interaction between the staff and the children. The inspector overheard a senior staff member on the phone instructing a colleague to implement behaviour-management strategies to help talk a child down from being overly anxious at school pick-up time. The child returned to the home settled and calm. This demonstrates that staff have a good understanding of children in their care and work well together as a team. Staff understand the children’s behaviour-management plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The inspector’s discussions with staff demonstrate that staff have relevant and meaningful conversations with children and each other. Staff listen to children and Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 3 take appropriate action to ensure that children are heard. Staff communicate with each other to discuss behaviour-management strategies. However, the inspector found that there was a lack of detail in recordings to evidence the good practice. A recommendation has been made to address this matter.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are supported with their independence plans. One child is in the process of transitioning to independence. Staff are in discussion with the placing authority to explore options for their accommodation. A recommendation has been made to ensure that staff are consistent in their approach to making sure that care plans for transitions are being actioned with the placing authority. This helps to reassure children that staff are proactive and helpful in identifying suitable accommodation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Overall, children have a good understanding of how to keep safe while using electronic devices and in the wider community with friends. Behaviour-support plans and risk-management plans are clear, and assessments are easy to follow. Staff monitor children who display sexualised behaviour. However, these plans require more detail and strengthening to ensure that risks are clearly identified. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A notification of a serious incident when a child was missing from home overnight was not submitted to Ofsted. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Under new leadership, the home has seen significant improvements in a short space of time. Plans to develop the skills and confidence of the team are ongoing and there is a pathway to develop staff for senior roles. Children are happy and, at the time of the inspection, were looking forward to Christmas. Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards.’ The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)) 9 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 9 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 6 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This is with specific reference to recording evidence of good practice with children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should seek to establish a diverse staff team with a range of interests, skills and experiences. They should lead staff to share those interests, skills and experiences with children to enrich the children’s lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.6)  The registered manager should ensure that effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the placing authority are in place, to secure the success of placements. This is with reference to

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Recommendations

independence and transition plans for children who are preparing to leave the home post-18. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)  The registered manager should ensure that the development of safe, stable and secure relationships between children and staff in the home is central to the ethos of the home. This is with reference to careful matching of children to ensure ongoing stability for children in the home, (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2594033 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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